Draft Prospect: Matthew Stafford

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is being projected as one of the top players in April’s NFL draft. Stafford played three years of college ball for the Georgia Bulldogs after being widely considered the best high school quarterback in the United States. Many team records were broken in his three years at Georgia, including surpassing D.J. Shockley’s single season record of 24 touchdown passes. While many people wonder if Stafford’s hype is too high heading into the NFL, with his problems leading the Bulldogs to wins over tougher opponents, there is no doubt that his quick release and rocket arm will impress more than one NFL scout. Stafford is very accurate at hitting the deep ball, but does have a tendency to throw up a “Brett Favre” ball, in other words a prayer that anyone could come down with. Reading defenses and blitzes don’t seem to be a problem for him at the college level, coaches should be confident that he can run the pro style offense. Another advantage to his game is Stafford’s ability to buy time with his feet. Being a lot quicker than many know, Stafford has no problems throwing on the run, so coaches can call roll-out passes or bootlegs with ease. Most of what ranks Matthew Stafford above other quarterbacks is his intangibles on and off the field; he is a vocal leader who takes command of the team, and seems to be popular amongst his teammates. Mel Kiper of ESPN has Matthew Stafford going to Detroit at number 1 in his latest mock draft. Of course, many peoples mock drafts and rankings will be completely different after the NFL Combine.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcvSDUMw-XQ